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They've been playing without him for over a month now. Record isn't as good as it was when Wieters went down, but they haven't collapsed. And you never know, they could always trade for a catcher from a non-contending team.

Will Wieters operate on his right arm with his left arm? He is the only catcher (or position player) I have heard of who needed this surgery. Will it be a new designation, such as the Matt Wieters surgery for non-pitchers?

Catching prospect Joe Doakes is expected to be playing next year after the Matt Wieters? He is coming to camp in the best shape of his career.

In the land of the blind, etc. Every time any potential challenger puts on a little mini-run, a week later they've thrown it all away. That's the problem when you've got big gaps in both your everyday lineup and your starting rotation: You get too dependent on a few players playing well over their heads to produce runs, and you also wind up wearing out your bullpen.

Nothing personal was meant, Zeth. You may've missed it (it didn't take off to the degree of some of the others referenced here), but "Some [fill in the blank] historian you are, nitwit" was a BTF meme as well.

I hate it when people like Zeth & Chris Truby & Albert Belle miss references to BTF memes.

My great-grandfather used to tell me about the Cupid Childs facts. Childs could send an electric telegraph message and run to the destination city and jump into bed before it got there, Childs stirred the shaving soap in his mug so fast that it caused the Johnstown Flood, Childs could lift more pigs of iron than three Irish navvies, plus the navvies too, that sort of thing.

Cool Papa Bell may have been one of the original X Facts guys, perhaps thanks largely to Buck O'Neil. Cool Papa Bell would turn the lights off at night and be undressed and under the covers before the room got dark, that kind of thing. I think Satchel Paige is attributed as having said Cool Papa ripped a line drive past his ear, and he turned around just in time to see the ball hit Cool Papa in the ass as he slid into second.

Weiters did pitch out of the bullpen in college. (I believe he was Georgia Tech's closer for awhile in addition to catching.) He would need to be pretty recklessly handled to be forced to throw too many pitches as a closer, but does anyone know if he had any 150 pitches type outings as a high schooler?

Ehh, O's could really improve just by keeping Gausman in the rotation and adding Bundy down the stretch if he's finally healthy. Hardy and Machado can certainly do more offensively for the club. Tommy Hunter can be put back on the DL.